Amalgamating apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. v

(No M-od'el.)

T. B. TEEGARDEN. AMALGAMATING APPARATUS.

(No Model.) A 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. T. E. TEBGARDEN. AMALGAMATING APPARATUS.

Patented July 13, 1897.

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Tn: muws paens co. Pnorouruo, wAsn UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. TEEGARDEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. i

AMALGAMATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 586,324, dated July 13, 1897'.

Application tiled October 3, 1896. Serial No. 608,212. (No model.)

To all whom, it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. TEEGARDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Amalgamating Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in the class of apparatus for separating precious metals from their ores by amalgamation in which the amalgamating pan or pans (also termed the copper or coppers) are supported on a vertically-disposed or upright shaft stepped at one end-that is, held either above or below its center to adapt it to be swung without rotation upon its longitudinal axis, upon a pivot, as it were, to impart to the pan or pans a gyratory motion of a nature closely resembling the well-known mot-ion employed in panning by hand.

The object of my invention is to afford an improvement in the class of amalgamatingA apparatus referred to, and this more especialiy in the particulars of cheapness of construction, economy of driving power, motion of the amalgamating pan or pans, and the feed to the latter.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows my improved apparatus by a view in sectional elevation, partly broken; Fig. 2, a section taken at the line 2 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 3 a view like that presented by Fig. 1, but showin g the arrangement of my improved apparatus with a single amalgamating-pan instead of a series of such pans.

A is a shaft pivotally supported at one end in a suitable step B. In Fig. 1 the shaft is shown to be supported by suspension from its upper end, which is preferred, while in Fig. 3 it is shown to be supported at its lower end. The construction of the step B illustrated comprises a bed-plate r, provided with a pair of outward-"extending perforated ears 1", in which is journaled a rock-shaft q, having outward-extending perforated ears q' at right angles to the ears r', and in each is pivotally supported a socket p to receive the end of the shaft. The opposite end of the shaft A is provided with suitable eccentric driving mechanism, the details of which, as illustrated in Fig. l, are so well known that they need not herein be more definitely described. D denotes the driving mechanism geared to the eccentric mechanism C and adapted to be connected with any suitable driving power.

E is the feed-pan, preferably of the Haring form illustrated and supported centrally upon the shaft A, the feed-pan containing a screen o,for a purpose hereinafter described. I pre- 6o fer to support the pan E on the shaft, as by the means shown, involving a iiaring sleeve n, which closely fits near its upper end about the shaft and is propped at its lower end by means of an adjustable collar m, and through the sleeve near its lower end are inserted setscrews Z to bear at their inner ends against the. surface of the shaft, whereby loosening one or more of the set-screws and tightening the others enables the feed-pan to be tilted 7o to a desired limited degree by tilting the sleeve upon which the feed-pan seats in the manner illustrated. From the base of the pan E there extend the discharge-spouts E.

In Fig. 1 I show a number of amalgamating 75 pans or plates F, supported below the feedpan E, to radiate from the shaft A, as from a com mon center, on a frame F', seated on a ilaring sleeve n', surrounding the shaft in the manner described of -the sleeve n, and, like 8o the latter, propped at its base by a collar m' and provided with set-screws Z for its adjustment in the manner of adjusting the sleeve n. The forrn of amalgamating-pan which I prefer to employ is that illustrated, involving a 8 5 copper dish-shaped base 7c, provided with a discharge-spout It and an undulated copper top plate z' of lesser diameter than the base lo to fit within the latter and leave a space at m about its edge, at which it is supported at in- 9o tervals from the base by narrow clips t, and about the upper side of the plate i, near its edge, there extends a flange i', tending to coniine the pulp against too ready running off.

In Fig. 3, wherein only one of the amalgainating-pans F is shown, it is supported at its base k by seating directly on the sleeve 'n' concentrically with the shaft, and two discharge-spouts k' are shown to be provided in the base.

In each construction the amalgamating-pan in the one and t-he amalgamating-pans in the other are within a tailing-pit G, seated, like the single pan F, on the sleeve n' and having IOO a discharge-spout h, the form of the tailingpit being preferably that of a funnel,as shown.

The operation is as follows: The ore-pulp is supplied from a suitably-located pulp-tank `(not shown) through a feed-spout H to the pan E (which may also be used as an amalgamating-pan) While the shaft Ais being actuated by driving the eccentric mechanism C, which swings the shaft on its pivotal axis through a circuitous path. This motion of the shaft gyrates the panE and accordingly agitates its pulp contents, which after passing through the screen discharge through the spouts E upon the pan or pans F. As Will be seen, the feed-spouts lead to the centers of the pans F, from Which the material is thus distributed evenly and regularly over the surfaces of the mercurycovered plates 1l, and owing to the const-ruction, whereby the center of motion and center of the pans always remain the same, there is no variation in the points of discharge from the feed-pan with relation to the amalgamating pan or pans. The material passes from the top amalgamating-plate z' over the edge of the latter into the dish-shaped base 7c, which should contain mercury, and the tailings discharge into the pit G, whence they escape through the discharge-spout h.

Whenever it is desirable, as it sometimes is, to adjust the feed-pan E or a pan F for the purpose of leveling the same upon its center, so as to tilt it more or less with relation to the shaft, this may be done by accordingly adjusting the sleeves n or n by properly manipulating the set-screws Z. There is no material difference in the result of the operation of the apparatus whether the pivotal su pport for the shaft be at its upper or at its lower end.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In an amalgamating apparatus, the coinbination of a shaft supported in upright position at one end to be gyrated from its opposite end through a circuitous path about the center of its support, means for gyrating the shaft, and one or more amalgamating-plates supported on said shaft and tiltingly adjustable thereon with relation to the shaft, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combination of a shaft supported in upright p0- sition at one end to be gyrated from its opposite end through a circuitous path about the center of its support, means for gyrating the shaft, a sleeve surrounding said shaft and adjustable thereon by tilting the sleeve with relation to the shaft, one or more amalgamatingplates supported on said sleeve, said shaft affording the center of motion for the plate or plates, and a feed-pan supported on the shaft above, and discharging upon said plate` or plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combination of a shaft supported in upright position at one end to be gyrated from its opposite end through a circuitous pat-h about the center of its support, means for gyrating the shaft, a downwardly-Haring sleeve supported on the shaft and provided With means forad- A j usting it, and one or more amalgamatingplates supported on said sleeve, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In an amalgamating apparatus, the combination of a shaft supported in upright position at one end to be gyrated from its opposite end through a circuitous path about` the center of its support, means for gyrating the shaft, downwardly-Haring sleeves supported one above the other on the shaft and provided with means for adjusting them, one or more amalgamatingplates supported on the lower sleeve and a feed-pan supported on the upper sleeve and discharging upon said plate or plates, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.`

THOMAS E. TEEGARDEN.

In presence of- J. H. LEE, R. T. SPENcER. 

